Vistara Frankfurt-Mumbai flight receives bomb threat, makes emergency landing

Another flight received a hoax bomb threat on Thursday. This comes after nearly a score of flights received bomb hoaxes in the last three days, disrupting flight operations across airlines. The ministry has, meanwhile, informed a parliamentary panel that the accused is being identified and further action taken. Additionally, the police have detained a teenager from Chhattisgarh, who is believed to have made such hoax bomb threats to at least three flights. 

A Mumbai-bound Vistara flight from Germany’s Frankfurt, carrying 147 passengers and crew, had to make an emergency landing after it received a bomb threat. The Boeing 787 aircraft was taken to the isolation bay for mandatory security checks. 

The Vistara flight, with 134 passengers and 13 crew members on board, landed safely at 7:45 am. 

"Vistara Frankfurt flight, which had departed for Mumbai from Frankfurt on Wednesday at 8.20 pm (local time) made an emergency landing here at around 7.45 am on Thursday," a source said. Vistara confirmed the incident in a statement. "The Vistara flight UK 028 operating from Frankfurt to Mumbai on October 16, 2024 was subject to a security threat received on social media," the airline spokesperson said.

The airline stated that all passengers were disembarked safely, and all mandatory security checks were undertaken. 

Meanwhile, a teenager has been detained and sent to the Juvenile Justice Board, for issuing bomb hoaxes to three flights. His involvement in other bomb threats are yet to be ascertained. 

Condemning the "mischievous and unlawful" actions, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu, said, "Such activities are a matter of grave concern, and we will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and the smooth functioning of the aviation sector.”